10 Lovable TV Characters With Surprisingly Depressing Backstories

Certain characters look fun and cool on the surface but they often hide their tragic and depressing backstories that could traumatize anyone. They have faced a lot of hardships, and it has made them into the characters we now love. It has added a lot of depth to these characters, but it can be very depressing for the viewers.

#1: Phoebe Buffay

Phoebe is a fun-loving and free-spirited person but her childhood was very depressing. Her dad abandoned her family when she was just a kid, and after that, her mom committed suicide. Her stepdad went to prison, forcing her to live on the streets. She never had any formal education and had to beg and steal to survive.

#2: Dean and Sam Winchester

The Winchester brothers had one of the toughest childhoods in TV history as their mother died in a fire caused by a demon. After that, the brothers were always on the road along with their father, hunting monsters. Nothing about their childhood could be considered to be normal.

#3: Tiffany ‘Pennsatucky’ Doggett

Played By: Taryn Manning

TV Show: Orange Is the New Black

Pennsatucky’s life in prison was a lot better than her previous life, which was just heart-breaking. She had no money to fend for herself, and she became a meth addict and because of that, she used to sell her body for materialistic things. She had five abortions before going to Litchfield.

#4: Ned

Played By: Lee Pace

TV Show: Pushing Daisies

Ned is a super sweet human being with a big heart but his ability to bring back the dead to life was more of a curse than a gift. When Ned was nine, he managed to revive his mother, but she made the mistake of kissing him good night, as that touch sealed her fate. He also revived his dog, but that meant he could never touch his furry friend ever again.

#5: The Doctor

Played By: Matt Smith/Peter Capaldi/David Tennant

TV Show: Doctor Who

The Doctor has lived for centuries, and from the things that we have learned about immortality from pop-culture, we know that it is not a gift, but a curse. He has witnessed two genocides and his entire race was annihilated, leaving him to be the only one of his kind.

#6: Dexter Morgan

Played By: Michael C. Hall

TV Show: Dexter

The fans actually sympathized with the serial killer after they came to know about his tragic backstory. He saw his drug addict mother getting massacred right in front of him with a chainsaw. Fortunately, he was adopted by a righteous cop, but it was too late till then.

#7: Lord Varys

Played By: Conleth Hill

TV Show: Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is filled with characters that have depressing backstories, but Varys suffered more than most. He was born a slave and was bought by a sorcerer who emasculated him for a ritual. When that failed, he was thrown back onto the streets to fend for himself and he did everything to survive.

#8: John Locke

Played By: Terry O’Quinn

TV Show: Lost

John Locke is a badass character but his life was a complete mess before he reached that island. His mother abandoned him, he was bullied his entire life and his biological father scammed him for his kidney. If that was not enough, his father pushed him from a window, turning him into a paraplegic.

#9: Dr. Perry Cox

Played By: John C. McGinley

TV Show: Scrubs

Dr. Cox is a genius doctor but he also had a lot of pent-up aggression, which he often took out on JD. Turns out, he had a very forgettable childhood. His father used to drink a lot and then take it all out on Perry. He did not grow up in a happy home and that affected his behavior immensely.

#10: Don Draper

Played By: Jon Hamm

TV Show: Mad Men

Don Draper is a cut-throat businessman who would go to any lengths to succeed. There is a big reason for his questionable morals. He is an illegitimate child of a prostitute, who died after giving birth to him. His father died when he was a teenager, and his stepmother made his life hell.